ia, as it were
extinguished his soul; so that he sees not, hears not, and Moses and
all the Prophets address him in vain.

Will he awaken, be alive again, and have a soul; or is this death-fit
very 'death? It is a question of questions, for himself and for us
all! Alas, is there no noble work for this man too? Has not he
thickheaded ignorant boors; lazy, enslaved farmers, weedy lands?
Lands! Has not he weary heavy-laden ploughers of land; immortal souls
of men, ploughing, ditching, day-drudging; bare of back, empty of
stomach, nigh desperate of heart; and none peaceably to help them but
he, under Heaven? Does he find, with his three-hundred thousand
pounds, no noble thing trodden down in the thoroughfares, which it
were godlike to help up? Can he do nothing for his Burns but make a
Gauger of him; lionise him, bedinner him, for a foolish while; then
whistle him down the wind, to desperation and bitter death?--His work
too is difficult, in these modern, far-dislocated ages. But it may be
done; it may be tried;--it must be done.

A modern Duke of Weimar, not a god he either, but a human duke,
levied, as I reckon, in rents and taxes and all incomings whatsoever,
less than several of our English Dukes do in rent alone. The Duke of
Weimar, with these incomings, had to govern, judge, defend, everyway
administer _his_ Dukedom. He does all this as few others did: and he
improves lands besides all this, makes river-embankments, maintains
not soldiers only but Universities and Institutions;--and in his Court
were these four men: Wieland, Herder, Schiller, Goethe. Not as
parasites, which was impossible; not as table-wits and poetic
Katerfeltoes; but as noble Spiritual Men working under a noble
Practical Man. Shielded by him from many miseries; perhaps from many
shortcomings, destructive aberrations. Heaven had sent, once more,
heavenly Light into the world; and this man's honour was that he gave
it welcome. A new noble kind of Clergy, under an old but still noble
kind of King! I reckon that this one Duke of Weimar did more for the
Culture of his Nation than all the English Dukes and _Duces_ now
extant, or that were extant since Henry the Eighth gave them the
Church Lands to eat, have done for theirs!--I am ashamed, I am alarmed
for my English Dukes: what word have I to say?

_If_ our Actual Aristocracy, appointed 'Best-and-Bravest,' will be
wise, how inexpressibly happy for us! If not,--the voice of God from
the whirlwind is ve